Message from Laura Furedy, Preschool Director

A Nativity Scene was erected in a church yard.
During the night the folks came across this scene.
An abandoned dog was looking for a comfortable, protected place to sleep. He chose baby Jesus as his comfort. No one had the heart to send him away so he was there all night.

We should all have the good sense of this dog and curl up in Jesus' lap from time to time.

No one mentioned that the dog breed is a "shepherd!"
PRAYING FOR A PEACEFUL CHRISTMAS FOR YOU.

Message from Nancy Cook, Bookkeeper

"'Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you are turning their hearts back again.' Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench." 1 Kings 18:37-38

How often do we see our circumstances as too difficult or impossible? We believe nothing, short of a miracle from God, will lift us up or rescue us from our situation.


When Elijah prayed to God at the time of sacrifice on Mount Carmel he fully expected God to make his presence known. Contrast this with the pleading cries of the prophets of Baal. All of their frantic pleas to their deaf, mute, and powerless god, urging him to light the fire from under their sacrifice, went unanswered.

Prayer preceded many great events in the Bible. For example, the early church was “earnestly praying” when Peter was imprisoned and, as a result, God rescued him – “the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.” (Acts 12:1-9)


How privileged we are to have a God who hears our prayers and answers them - for this brings glory to God. We serve a God who is all powerful and mighty and greater than our circumstances.

"Great is our Lord and mighty in power. His understanding has no limit." Psalm 147:5

I am blessed to have a prayer partner who is bold and confident in approaching the Throne of Grace and I am learning so much about the importance of prayer and the power of prayer each week that we meet to pray.

When you pray, do you expect God to do something because you know he is able, or do you expect to be disappointed because you doubt God would do something so great for you, for someone you love, or for Phoenix Christian? I confess, I have often been the latter even though I know God is able.

May we not limit our great God by our small faith and small expectations. Rather, may we be bold in our prayers, praying fervently and coming to God in faith and with expectancy. With God, all things are possible (Matt 19:26). And with the psalmist, let us say:


"Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me." Psalm 66:20

Message from Renee Trapp, Business Manager

MERRY CHRISTMAS


But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:10-11


What a great message—and the best gift of all. I wish you all a most blessed Christmas and my Christmas greetings in the following form…MERRY CHRISTMAS!


M—Mary’s Boy Child Jesus Christ, was born on Christmas Day

E—Emmanuel—Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel

R—Rest—God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen Let Nothing You Dismay

R—Receive—Joy to the World! The Lord is Come. Let Earth Receive her King

Y—Ye—Oh Come All Ye Faithful, Joyful and Triumphant

C—Child—What Child is this, who laid to rest, on Mary’s lap is sleeping?

H—Hark the Herald Angels Sing—Glory to the newborn King

R—Rejoice—Good Christian Men Rejoice, With Heart and Soul and Voice

I—It Came Upon the Midnight Clear that Glorious Song of Old

S—Stars—O Holy Night, The Stars Are Brightly Shining…

T—The First Noel the Angel Did Say …

M—Manger—Away in a Manger, No Crib for a Bed…

A—Angels We Have Heard on High, Sweetly Singing O’er the Plain

S—Silent Night, Holy Night, All is Calm, All is Bright.


Did I catch you singing to your computer? That’s ok!  Have a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Message from Donn Start, Principal West Valley Campus

Written by Leslie Williams, PC West Valley Librarian

“Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise . . . and the just shall live by faith.” Hebrews 10: 35-38

Stand firm in your faith – endure to the end. We know our God is able to provide and protect during difficult trials; our part is to believe and endure. Do not draw back and second-guess our Redeemer. He is worthy to be trusted. Our faith in Him is sure.

“God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?” Numbers 23:19 (NIV)

If your task seems great today and opposition is daunting, then be confident that God will strengthen your faith and supply miraculous provision. We are not a people without hope. Our Redeemer works in and through us; but we must stand firm and endure to the end.

Join together in love; support one another with prayer and encouraging words, and move forward under His Banner of Love, Protection and Provision.

Message from Phil Adams, Principal JH/SH & Central Elementary

“Choose a good reputation over great riches.” – Proverbs 22:1

“The success of the organization depends on having enough people in the market exchange with us. Their decisions are determined by their perceptions of whether we offer the best available solution to their felt needs. They decide based on image. In terms of marketing, image is everything.

“It is hard to succeed in this media-defined environment, where image is reality. The market acts only on its perceptions – not on how good we really are, only on how good it thinks we are. The lie can be big and brazen or small and subtle, but the lie often lasts long enough to beat the truth. Honor the truth, Lord.

“The truth tends to win in the long run, I know, but too often there is no long run. Conditions don’t always last long enough for the truth to prevail. We are determined to market ourselves as skillfully as we possibly can, but, Lord, keep us honest. Don’t let us slip into exaggerating or misleading in any way. Give us a passion for making the truth convincing.

“Keep us true to your values, Lord, whether we seem to be succeeding or not. If you allow an undeserved image to be decisive, I will still do my best to honor you in everything we do as an organization. I would rather fail than dishonor your name.”


From Leadership Prayers by Richard Kriegbaum


Phoenix Christian has worked very hard to have an honorable reputation in our community. That community includes our students, teachers, parents, alumni, the neighborhood, and surrounding community. We trust God to keep us true to scripture in all we do. Often that manifests itself in ways that seem foolish to the world. We would rather fail than dishonor the name of Christ.

Message from Jim Callahan, High School Teacher

Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.” Matt 18:21&22.

The standard operating procedure for the sinful human heart is to seek personal vengeance when we have been wronged by our fellow image bearer. This carries over to teachers and their dealings with students. I know a retired Arizona High School teacher with over thirty years in the classroom that advised me to do as he did. The first day of class was when he infirmed his students not to worry about him getting mad at them. He told them “I never get mad at my students, I get even.” The retired teacher insisted that this approach was best when wronged by students. Pay-back works like nothing else for classroom management and teacher survival. This advice is of the devil, the father of lies. Clearly many sinful actions performed by our students in the classroom require responses designed to build godly character and/or deter future sin. However, vengeance has no part in this. Our Lord made it very plain that we are to have a forgiving spirit when dealing with those who sin against us. This forgiving attitude is essential for teachers that want to honor the Lord in their classrooms. From the heart we must forgive our students. This is not easy. Nevertheless, it is required by God. We hear a lot today about what qualifications are necessary for teachers to achieve excellence. I suggest that a forgiving spirit must be on the top of that list.

Message from Jim Koan, Superintendent

Hmmm…let’s see; how can I add to the Christmas message? How can any words of “little ole’ me” add to your Christmas preparation? What cute story can I tell you to warm your heart, make you think of Christmas’s long past? What word picture can I paint to make your mouth water for a long forgotten holiday treat?


Truth is, I can’t…because I don’t want to. I do want to distract you or me from the marvelous, wonderful, awesome message…”Unto us a Child is born; unto us a Savior is given...and His name shall be called…WONDERFUL” (Isaiah 9:2-6)

So please join me; pause to reflect on the glorious message the angels raced to earth to share:

9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
10 I will take away the chariots from Ephraim
and the warhorses from Jerusalem,
and the battle bow will be broken.
He will proclaim peace to the nations.
His rule will extend from sea to sea
and from the River[a] to the ends of the earth. (Zech. 9:9-10)

“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.
17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child,
18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.
19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.
20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. (Luke 2:10-20)


Our “King” is coming…He’s already come, yes, but He’s coming again to reign forever. Reflect…and rejoice!

Message from Yvonne Calderon, WV 5th Grade Teacher

Earlier this year, Sonya had a devotion where the bible says fall on your face and cry out to God. Here is a reminder of her devotion from September 3.

“I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.” –Psalms 57:2

“O LORD, God of my salvation; I cry out day and night before you. Let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry! For my soul is full of troubles…” –Psalms 88:1-3

On September 21 when Art when down, all I could hear was Sonya’s devotion. These words rang out in my head as I fell to my face (literally, I was faced planted in the hall). I cried out to God.


“So when He saw them, He said to them, ‘Go, show yourselves to the priests.’ And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks.”

Luke 17:14-16 (NKJV)

A few weeks ago, I was in church and Luke 17:14-17 was the topic of the sermon. Again, I hear God telling me to CRY OUT!!! This time he tells me to CRY OUT in thanks!! Our culture is not a culture where we CRY OUT in thanks. We say a polite thank you and call it a day! I wonder what it would look like this Christmas season if we as a Christian community CRIED OUT with THANKS for all God gave us this year! No more quiet thank yous! What if our Christmas letters were filled with THANKS not accomplishments? What if our Christmas letters were filled with answered prayers not details about our year? What if our Christmas letters were filled with requests of how our Christian family could pray for us followed up with a request of how we could pray for others?

Sonya thank you for your devotion! I love how the truth hidden in our hearts is what gets us through life!!

Message from Lisa Blake, Counselor

"The Son of Man will put the sheep (good people) on his right and the goats (bad people) on his left. "Then the king will say to those good people on his right, 'Come. My Father has given you great blessings. Come and get the kingdom God promised you. That kingdom has been prepared for you since the world was made. You can have this kingdom, because I was hungry and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was alone and away from home, and you invited me into your home. I was without clothes, and you gave me something to wear. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you came to visit me.' "Then the good people will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and give you food? When did we see you thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you alone and away from home and invite you into our home? When did we see you without clothes and give you something to wear? When did we see you sick or in prison and care for you?' "Then the king will answer, 'I tell you the truth. Anything you did for any of my people here, you also did for me.'"


I was thinking about the “least of these” last night as we welcomed 60 young children to our campus to shower love on them. There’s something mystical about the supernatural change that takes place in your heart as you offer yourself to others, especially those that desperately need you. I watched as our students who we often think of as selfish, proud, self-seeking, and rude transformed into these young men and women whose hearts overflowed with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness and self-control. Isn’t this what happens when we live in the kingdom of God? Transformation occurs, blessings multiply, and the lost finally find hope. May the words of Jesus inspire you to seek out the least of these, the poor in spirit, the brokenhearted and shower them with His love…you’ll be amazed at what the spirit will do!
Merry Christmas!

Message from Joe Frost Director of Technology & Operations

1 John-2:4-6 Whoever says "I know him" [Jesus] but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

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Do as I say, not as I do... NO way, practice what you preach! Actions speak louder than words.

We have a role model, Jesus. Discover Him in His Word. Learn of Him. And walk as He walked.

Striving to do it right; desiring to keep His commands; studying His Word to know what we're to keep is the lifestyle we're challenged with!

But we'll still do things we don't want to and we'll still not do many things we ought to - we sin.

This is not about being perfect, but about letting His Love become perfected in us as a lifelong commitment to living life His way.

We started by crawling, then we learned how to walk, falling is part of the process, soon we'll fall less.

But we'll always need to get right back up and walk...Like Jesus.

Message from Jeff Blake, High School Teacher

Tuesday was the 69th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. As word spread throughout the nation, one group gathered outside the White House and began to sing “God Bless America.”


In March, my wife and I are expecting another baby. We have a tradition in the delivery room which involves Lisa’s dad singing a specially written lullaby for this new addition. As we celebrate, we sing.

While driving to school these last few weeks, I have been listening to Dr. David Jeremiah’s sermon series on angels. As he ended the series this week, he suggested that scripture and many biblical scholars can find no proof that angels sing.

This is Christmas time.

This is the time of year when we sing about angels singing.

It’s everywhere.

Now, this is not setting to launch into a technical consideration of scripture, but he suggests some translations may impose an assumption of context upon verb translations. In the case of the heavenly chorus greeting the shepherds (Luke 2:13-14), Dr. Jeremiah suggests the angels offered more of a statement than song.

The angels may or may not sing, but we do. And we sing in moments of great sorrow such as funerals or national calamity, but we also sing in great joy over birthdays and Christmas celebrations.

He suggests humans sing out of lament over our brokenness, depravity, and destructive ability. He suggests humans sing out of great joy over the truth of God’s might or satisfying relationships. Ours is a story of highs and lows through which we find solace in song.

The angels on the other hand live in what he calls a “perpetual high” in God’s presence. Dr. Jeremiah suggests the angels simply exist in this static place of Divine presence and are not given to the highs and lows of humanity.

I am not sure I agree with his assertion, but this is where my thoughts are resting.

Salvation is not an opportunity for the angels. Humanity is unique in this opportunity. He suggests the angels long to hear our songs and learn of what it is like for the God of the universe to lay down his life for you and I.

Regardless if the angels are singing with us, may sing of the Savior’s birth as we journey through our highs and lows.

Message from Donn Start, Principal West Valley Campus

PC West Valley librarian, Mrs. Leslie Williams, has kindly shared with me with four devotionals that she has written for a Christian magazine. With Leslie’s permission, I will be sharing these messages with you. This is the second devotional that Leslie has shared with me to share with you. Thanks Leslie for contributing your written devotional message!


“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed … he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what He had promised. This is why it was credited to him as righteousness.” Romans 4:19-22

When everything around us signals despair – when nightly news focuses on negative economic developments and we think there’s no solution in sight, let’s remember that God is our Provider. He has the power and the desire to fulfill all His promises. As Abraham held fast and believed in hope, let’s demonstrate that we are fully persuaded that our God will do just as He promised. He will provide for all our needs.

“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Phil 4:19

Abraham believed the impossible and it was credited to him for righteousness. Let’s stand together and believe God to help us in our time of trouble.

Message from Howard Billings, Operations

Philippians 1:3


"I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it onto completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

God bless each of you during this very special time of year, in the remembrance of Christ's birth.

Message from Joe Frost Director of Technology & Operations

1John-3:16-18 By this we know love, that HE laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk, but in deed and in truth.
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Jesus loves us so much that He willingly chose to come into the world, live His life as we do from infancy to adulthood, and lay it down as a sacrifice for all our sins so that we can have not only a Savior for eternity, but a role model for life, for love.


We have a role model. Our God's only Son chose to lay down everything to become a man like us, to live like us, outside the kingdom of Heaven. He chose to live on earth without using the power He had at His command to simply change the world and all of mankind into mindless robots that would worship Him automatically, robotically rather than by choice. He laid it all down for us.


We're not being told to die here, though we should all be very thankful for the veterans of war that have done so for our freedom, but we are being told to live life sacrificially for others, considering others as more important than ourselves, doing to and for others how we would want others to treat us and it won't be easy...death to self will never be easy.


So, as we live on a day to day basis, like Jesus, we will definitely have opportunities to let God's love show through us simply by helping others in need. Put a box of cereal and a bottle of water in your car for the next time you see that guy on the street corner. Maybe it's a pair of sandals that can fit more than one size foot. Maybe it's a jacket, toy, reading glasses, hot chocolate, socks, or just time spent listening to someone that doesn't have many friends.

We do have the love of God abiding in us. The world so desperately needs to see & know His love. We need to practice what we preach and love others with actions not just words.


It won't always be easy, but we always have His Love in us...for others.

Message from Sonya Berges, JH/SH Teacher

"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see."

Why is it that when God gives us a dream and a path to take, we still seek validation from people around us? Isn't God's blessing enough? Seeking wise counsel brings us perspective and insight. It allows us to see a broad picture or narrow in on the details we may miss. But when the advice contradicts what God's word says, we need to recognize it and walk away. When the advice conflicts with assurances God has given, prayer and faith become our focus.

Isaiah 26:3 says "you keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock."

Message from Jim Koan, Superintendent

The Word became flesh and lived for a while among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

God, in all His perfectness and power set aside His unbearable (to man) deity and visited this earth for 33 years. He started as the humble baby born in a manger but Bethlehem was not His final destination, and the shepherds not His only intended audience.

“Yeah, we know all that. Let me get back to work”

Not so fast; let’s not miss a very important message in this traditionally Christmas-season verse: the Son came…”full of grace and truth.” Somehow God co-mingled two seemingly polar opposite concepts: unchanging truth which shines an unblinking light on our fallen state and pierces to our very core…and grace that covers our sin…all of it.

See, He delivered to us that first Christmas exactly what we need: we needed truth which was not subject to man’s whim of fancy, and not determined by the one with the most might. We needed truth which cannot be refuted and is the same “yesterday, today and forever.”

But that same truth condemns us. God knew that; knew our feeble efforts of righteous living would get us no where close enough to perfection let alone salvation, because the truth was, and is, that we are born in sin and doomed from birth.

But that is why God wrapped in the package that was His Son both grace and truth. He delivered on both fronts all that we need for to have hope in this life and salvation in the next. He delivered (sing it with me) …

“Grace, grace, God’s grace.
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within.
Grace, grace, God’s grace;
Grace that is greater than all our sin.” (J.H. Johnston)

Each time we unwrap packages this season, let’s recall the awesome Gift delivered to us that first Christmas night, a gift which fit’s perfectly; and let’s be sure to thank the Heavenly Father, the Giver of all Good Gifts.

Message from Bruce Consier, Athletic Director

If one parts suffers, all parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all parts are glad. Now all of you together are Christ's body, and each one of you is a separate and necessary part of it. I Cor 12:26-27

As the basketball season is under way - the concept of team is very important to me. Each one of the players and coaches have a job to do to make us successful.In the body of Christ, no one role is more important than another. The Apostle Paul emphasized team spirit in his writing.

We cannot think more highly of ourselves than we ought, but neither should we think less of ourselves. We should be eager team members.

Message from Roger Bemis, Band Teacher

William Chatterton wrote the song “What Child is This?” at the age of twenty-nine when he was struck with a sudden near-fatal illness. He was confined to bed for several months and fell into a deep depression. However, out of this near-death experience, he wrote many hymns, including “What Child is This?” later set to the traditional English tune "Greensleeves".

In the midst of the hustle and bustle of the season, with Christmas concerts, finals, grades that are due, family visits, presents to buy, trees to decorate…AHHHH!
STOP! Let’s not forget about the child!

Lets’ not forget that --- Jesus is the reason for the season. He is the reason Phoenix Christian exists. In order to give our children an education that also includes coming to know the Saviour of the world as their best friend. Are you going to share that with anyone?

Jesus is the reason for the season. This is the perfect time to share that with family, friends, neighbors and best of all…strangers. Christmas is a great ice-breaker to talk to anyone about our savior. The Messiah’s birth can be a great segue into the cross. Without his birth (Luke 2:11-12), we would not have his death and resurrection (Matthew 28:5-7). Use this season to share His love with everyone you come in contact with.

Message from Renee Trapp, Business Manager

TRUST

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

What does it mean to trust the Lord with all your heart? It means that we completely trust GOD with all that is in us, that we rely not on our own strength, and that we give all of the strength we possess to the will of the Holy Spirit. Then GOD can fulfill his perfect will through us and bring glory to himself.

To lean not on our own understanding means we are not seeking to figure the problem out logically. This is not ours to do. If GOD is truly the center of our lives, we live for him and him alone. Do we really believe that he lives? Then we should also believe that we can trust him with all our hearts.

“In all your ways acknowledge him” – this is to fear GOD in all we do. To fear the Lord is to be wise.

Here’s the blessing: “HE WILL MAKE YOUR PATHS STRAIGHT.” Why? Because they are no longer our paths--but his. Since he is perfect, he can’t have any fault in him. So the paths must lead to fulfilling his work, his perfect will, in and through the life he has given.

What is your path like today?

(Excerpts taken from Acts 20:24 Ministries)

Message from Roxanne Anderson, Bookkeeper

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
6In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.

Proverbs 3:5-6.

Like most Christians, this is one of the first verses I ever memorized. The truth is so simple, but I often find it difficult to put into practice. My own understanding often seems so logical, so right. The Lord knows that things He does, the things He calls me to do won't always make sense to me, but that's just it. He's not asking me to understand or to "feel up to it". He's asking me to trust Him in all circumstances.

Message from Donn Start, Principal West Valley Campus

PC West Valley librarian, Mrs. Leslie Williams, has kindly shared with me with four devotionals that she has written for a Christian magazine. With Leslie’s permission, I will be sharing these messages with you. It is such a treat to read such a variety of Christian devotionals that God places on the hearts and minds of PC employees. With December now here, let me be the first to wish each of you - Merry Christmas!
Donn

God has called us to do the impossible, but without Him, whatever He has called us to do will be exactly that – impossible. But thanks be to God! He pours His grace on us and enables us to do things we couldn’t do on our own.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Cor. 12:9

We must believe God more than we believe the circumstances around us. When the 12 spies came back from the Promised Land, they all gave a truthful report. But 10 of the spies saw the obstacles in light of what they could do on their own – and they were afraid. Only 2 of the spies said that they “were well able to overcome and take possession” of the land, because God was on their side. Ten looked at the circumstances – and two looked to God. Who do you run to when trouble comes? Do you first weigh the circumstances? Or do you look to God for Provision?

“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.” 2 Cor 9:8

Message from Jan Wolfe, Jr/Sr High Art Teacher

Proverbs 14:26 “He who fears the lord has a secure fortress and for his children it will be a refuge.”

A year ago, Jim and I became empty nesters. At first, we were looking forward to having quiet times and just having the house to ourselves. That quickly passed and the house became too quiet, too empty. We missed the companionship and conversations with our kids. Visits from the kids become times of joy and fellowship. The kids know they will always have a place they can come home to; and our joy is expressed when our kids visit.

Jesus has also prepared a home for us. He misses our conversations and companionship. We need to remember our heavenly parent and include Him in our everyday lives. It’s hard to comprehend on how great His joy is every time we take refuge in Him. Even more, how joyful all of heaven will be when we return to our heavenly home!